dpThe Toronto Maple Leafs signed goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a three-year, $7 million AAV contract, according to league sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity to address negotiations that aren’t public.
Bobrovsky will be 38 in September and is coming off a down season with the Florida Panthers, who were decimated by injuries. He posted career-worst numbers in save percentage (.877) and goals saved above expected (-17.6).
While it was a difficult season for the likely future Hockey Hall of Famer, Bobrovsky is only a year removed from anchoring the Panthers to three consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances, with two wins. He is one of the most decorated goalies of this generation.
Bobrovsky won two Vezina Trophies, with Columbus in 2013 and 2017, and leads all active goalies with 456 career wins.
The Russian netminder’s recent postseason accomplishments are impressive. His 44 wins since 2023 aren’t just the most in the NHL; they’re 12 clear of the next-closest goalie. He has a .912 playoff save percentage and a league-best 26.14 goals saved above expected over that span. His 61 career playoff wins rank second among active goalies and 16th all-time.
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The risk for Leafs
It’s not hard to see what the Leafs are thinking here.
They are desperate to turn things around in a major way next season and, hopefully, keep captain Auston Matthews around because of it.
In Bobrovsky, they net a goalie with a rich résumé in the NHL, including two Stanley Cup titles as the Florida Panthers No. 1. He’s going to play and play a lot, and if the Leafs can get back in the playoffs, he has a record of doing the job there.
It’s still a risky bet.
Bobrovsky had the worst season of his NHL career, and he’ll be one of the oldest goalies in the league next season. The Leafs will be counting on him to play 50-plus games, plus potentially more in the playoffs.
It’s a big assumption that he bounces back to form next season and gives them any value on that contract. — Jonas Siegel
